vote
7.0
- Bands:
FUNERAL - Duration: 00:17:45
- Available from: 01/16/2026
- Label:
-
Me Saco Un Ojo Records
In the dense silence that precedes every internal fracture, Funelore introduce their debut as a slow and inexorable flow of sound matter, capable of enveloping and compressing the listener even before the structures of the songs become fully recognisable. In a funeral death-doom undergrowth now saturated with proposals that often focus more on superficial impact than on real expressive depth, the Canadian duo, composed of AE on bass and vocals – already known as the frontman of the death metallers Sedimentum – and the multi-instrumentalist MB, instead chooses a more measured and conscious path, constructing two songs that are striking for their balance, coherence and a certain compositional maturity that is not entirely obvious for a debut.
From the first bars it is evident how the band works on a double track: on the one hand the specific weight of death metal, rendered through massive riffs full of an almost telluric physicality, on the other a marked attention to the atmosphere, which translates into a calibrated use of the keyboards and a never intrusive melodic sensitivity. In a panorama where the 'cavernous' sound has become a sort of overused stylistic feature, Funelore manage to avoid the trap of monotony, choosing to enrich their textures with details that emerge gradually, without breaking the oppressive blanket that envelops the listener. The references to names like Evoken, Esoteric, Dusk and the less bombastic Pantheist are natural, but not reductive: the project in fact seems to draw on a broader background, which is not limited to the doom side alone, but also has its roots in a more classic and muscular death metal tradition. This mixture is reflected in structures which, despite their gravity, do not give up a certain internal dynamism, made up of subtle variations, changes in intensity and well-measured melodic openings.
The short length of the EP certainly works in favor of the overall impact: the two tracks do not have time to become self-referential or redundant, and rather leave the impression of a concentrated, fresh work, which focuses on quality rather than quantity. Arpeggios, solos and discreet synth embroideries contribute to creating a rich and well-arranged sound fabric, capable of alternating moments of overwhelming oppression with more rarefied and contemplative passages. Ultimately, we can speak of a convincing debut, which demonstrates how even within a highly codified genre it is still possible to find spaces for careful writing. A good job, which reveals interesting growth margins for the future of Funelore.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
